Heavy rains snarl traffic, cancel Sounder service

Flood water stretches over a closed section of 216th Street SW in Mountlake Terrace on Monday afternoon. A creek that runs under the low spot in the street over-topped its banks in the area in front of the Premera Blue Cross buildings.

Mark Mulligan / The Herald

Residents inside a home on 53rd Place W in Mountlake Terrace look out the window at their flooded cul de sac Monday afternoon. Public works employees from the City of Mountlake Terrace were working Monday to drain the cul de sac. Torrential rain overwhelmed storm drains around the county Monday.

Mark Mulligan / The Herald

Flood water stretches over a closed section of 216th Street SW in Mountlake Terrace on Monday afternoon.

Mark Mulligan / The Herald

A Mountlake Terrace public works department employee monitors the water level on 53rd Place W in Mountlake Terrace on Monday afternoon.

Mark Mulligan / The Herald

A car makes its way through the water flooding the shared parking lot of several businesses along 220th Street SW in Mountlake Terrace on Monday afternoon. Parts of both 220th Street SW and 216th Street SW were both closed Monday as rain overwhelmed the storm drain system.

Mark Mulligan / The Herald

A Mountlake Terrace public works department employee monitors the water level on 53rd Place W in Mountlake Terrace on Monday afternoon.

Annie Mulligan / For The Herald

The infamous sliding house on Burl Place in the Valley View neighborhood has fallen almost completely out of view from the street. Recent rains might cause the house to lose more ground.

Annie Mulligan / For The Herald

The infamous sliding house on Burl Place in the Valley View neighborhood has fallen almost completely out of view from the street. Recent rains may cause the house to lose more ground.

EVERETT -- Heavy rain caused soggy soil, rising rivers and traffic hassles Monday in several Snohomish County communities.More than 1.7 inches fell on Paine Field airport in Everett between midnight and the late afternoon. That followed nearly an inch of rain in parts of Everett on Sunday.Gusty winds Monday brought another set of challenges in north Snohomish County. Roughly 250 customers, including the Navy commissary, lost power in north Marysville for about two hours and there were other scattered outages elsewhere, according to the Snohomish County PUD. The forecast doesn't get much better Tuesday.More rain is expected through Wednesday with a break in the weather forecast for Thanksgiving Day, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle. Rain-soaked roads were closed in Bothell and Mountlake Terrace on Monday and the downpour turned a stretch of Airport Road in Everett into a large wading pool.Mudslides on the bluffs bordering Puget Sound also canceled Sounder North train service from Seattle to Everett on Monday evening. Train traffic will resume after 1 p.m. Wednesday if the tracks remain clear, transit officials said.In Mountlake Terrace, Hall Creek spilled its banks Monday afternoon, forcing the closure of two thoroughfares for several hours.Police barricaded 216th Street SW and 220th Street SW near Highway 99 because of the high water."It just overwhelmed the capacity of the stream," Mountlake Terrace police Cmdr. Doug Hansen said. "It just became a torrent. Our traffic is a mess."Urban flooding also brought grief to other Mountlake Terrace neighborhoods, including a cul de sac at 53rd Place West where water rose to the grille of a Ford Mustang parked in front of one home. Public works crews brought in sandbags and pumps to try to divert water."You get a ton of rain in a short amount of time and you find out where your weak spots are," said Chad Phelan, a management analyst with the city's public works department.The flooding kept firefighters in south Snohomish County busy."We had several calls from homes with flooded basements in Mountlake Terrace and Edmonds," Snohomish County Fire District 1 spokeswoman Leslie Hynes said.The heavy rain caused sewer outfalls in Everett to overflow into the Snohomish River and Port Gardner Bay on Monday. Just how much waste escaped was unknown, officials said. Everett notified local agencies including state departments of health and ecology as well as the Snohomish Health District and Port of Everett.The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory for several rivers, including the Stillaguamish. An advisory means nothing is imminent but people should monitor river levels.On Monday, the biggest concern was city streets and creeks rather than the rivers. "We're always watching the river and local creeks and streams," Arlington city spokeswoman Kristin Banfield said. "Our crews have been out every day for the past two months sweeping the streets to get as many of the leaves up as we can."Crews also were checking storm drains and detention ponds to make sure they are clear to handle the rainy season.The storm brought good news for Stevens Pass with more than 24 inches of snow in a 24-hour period. The ski resort announced that it will open for the season on Tuesday. The ski area will be open from noon to 4 p.m. on Tuesday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday.Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.Stevens Pass will open Tuesday. Will you go this week?

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